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it were, his dogs run in, all demanding his attention at
once. The canvas against the wall waits in anticipation,
and amongst the violet shadows, yellowing leaves gather.
In the summer afternoon, the interrupted painting is
forgotten momentarily and the artist listens patiently to
his babbling grandchildren while the painted butterfly
on his canvas waits without the slightest motion.
On vacation with his family, many miles away from
home, Senaka had his first tryst with the rainforests. The
adolescent Senaka Senanayake was already a well-known
artist by then and had already had his first exhibitions
receiving praise from critics and art lovers everywhere.
It is already well known that Senaka was a child prodigy
who startedpaintingveryyoung.Hewasonly sixyearsof
age when his confident brushstrokes and compositions
caught the attention of an astute art teacher who
encouraged him to paint and participate in children’s art
shows. At home, his mother recognizing his gift made
sure that he was given all the support he required with
Senanayakeasa youngartist
art materials, etc. Senaka despite all this encouragement
was himself unsure about where his own heart lay. He
was a meritorious student and a promising cricketer who
dreamt of making it to the national team someday. Torn
betweendifferentpursuits theyoungadolescent realized
that that he had to make a choice when it came to
building a career and it was after many a sleepless night
that he chose to devote all his time to art.
It was a wise decision, in retrospect. Senaka, over
the years, became a household name and earned a
reputation as one of Sri Lanka’s top artists. Each show
in the country and abroad was critically acclaimed and
his paintings were acquired by important collectors. The
early figurative works made way for abstractions and
erotic series that were sensuous and somehow more
realistically engaging. His success manifested itself with
invitations to the UN, The White House, and prestigious
galleries in London, Moscow and Paris. This was a
period when the young boy was at school and could
SirCharlesWheeler,Presidentof theRoyalAcademy London, andBritish artistDame LauraKnight,with Senanayake atUpperGrosvenorGalleries,1966